Would You Still Do The Work If You Were Enlightened?

If you were enlightened, or free inside, however you want to define it, would you still do The Work? Would you still identify “stressful” thoughts and question them?

At First Thought, Your Answer Is Probably No

But think about it. Why do you do The Work?

Is it to get free? Or do you just like learning stuff, and finding practical new ways to live? Chances are, it’s a mixture of both. It has been for me over the years.

Sometimes, I’m doing The Work to try to fix myself because I believe I’m not good enough. Then The Work becomes a chore, one more infinitely long road to walk down in hopes of someday being free. Yuck!

That might motivate in the beginning, just from the desire to get out of pain. But if you do The Work a little (if you’re like me) you may find that it’s actually kind of fun. I find it fascinating, really.

The Work Is A Process of Exploration

And for me, that is supremely interesting. Even if I were totally free, whatever that means, I think I would still keep identifying my “stressful” thoughts and questioning them through The Work.

And who knows, I may quit doing The Work tomorrow! 🙂

The way I see it, though, it’s kind of like if you loved growing roses. Why would you stop? Even if you’ve mastered the art? Growing roses is a joy for you.

Or like people who make a lot of money. Do they stop working once they don’t need to make money anymore? Some do.

But many simply love to work, and continue on working to a ripe old age, even though they don’t need the money.

I Think It’s The Same With The Work

For some of us, The Work is fun. Personally, I love to find the little nit-picky things in life that I still believe, and question them.

For example, this week in Slow-Cook Inquiry, we’re questioning the thought, “I have to do it alone.” What a cool concept! I almost passed over this concept since there’s not that much charge on it for me. I didn’t really consider it to be much of a bad thing at all. But, OMG, I’m learning so much.

I’m learning that the way I think about earning money, the way I think about getting enlightened, the way I think about doing just about anything is based on this assumption, that I have to do it alone. Just like writing an exam in school.

I’ve treated everything that way. Simply so I could be proud of myself when I someday miraculously got what I wanted (without any help from anyone, of course). Never mind that I’ve severely handicapped myself by isolating myself in this way. Now I see how ridiculous the idea of pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps really is. It doesn’t work in the analogy. And it doesn’t work in real life. But I drank the Kool Aid.

I love discovering stuff like this, and letting my habits crumble, even cultural habits I learned in school.

So Did I Need To Do The Work? No

I was feeling fine. I’m used to me that way. I could be totally fine with being “independent” just like my grandmother was for the rest of my life. But in the spirit of inquiry, I questioned my belief. And I got to watch myself open up in an unexpected way.

Personally, I don’t think there will ever be a limit to how much we can open, and open, and open. That’s why I don’t plan to stop doing The Work, no matter how free I happen to feel. Why draw a line and say, “I’m enlightened. I’m free now. No more inquiry”? Inquiry seems to get better the more free I become. Why stop now?

Just Knowing That Changes Everything For Me

Now I know I’m doing The Work because I love it. Not because I’ve got to do it to get free. That’s rubbish.

Believing that you have to do it, or that you have to get free, itself impinges on your freedom. If you really don’t like doing The Work, then I invite you to ditch the whole program, and free yourself. Do you really need one more burden in your life? Why wear The Work like a millstone around your neck?

But if you happen to enjoy this process called The Work, I invite you to recognize it, and do it for that love alone.

In that spirit, I renamed The Work today for myself. I’m calling it The Play. Because I love the way I get to play when I do The Work.

Come Play With Us In Slow-Cook Inquiry

If you like doing The Work, you might really love Slow-Cook Inquiry. It’s a wonderful community that does The Work online in a password-protected, anonymous forum.

I think you’ll quickly find a very supportive environment for doing The Work. And it’s easy to do on a busy schedule.

Learn more about Slow-Cook Inquiry below. It’s open to newcomers only four times a year. A new session begins next Monday, May 27th, so don’t delay if you’re interested. This is the last reminder. The next opening won’t be until September.

Have a great week,
Todd